China
by gryphonlady
Summary: In Chinatown, the Petshop sells mysterious pets to people who need them, and always there's a lesson to be learned. But when both the pet and the owner are in need of saving, one will have to give up its life for the other... is now FINISHED!
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own Petshop of Horrors...which is probably a very VERY good thing. Petshop of Horrors was created by Mari Akino.  
  
A/N: I saw Petshop of Horrors for the first time about...three days ago. I'm serious! And since then I've probably watched the four episodes on DVD about 15 times...my muses just wouldn't shut up. So here's what came out of an overstressed, sleep deprived mind. Enjoy ^^  
  
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"China"  
  
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"I am so sorry to hear about the death of your wife, Mr. Robinson."  
  
"Thank you, Count. I appreciate your sympathy."  
  
Two blue eyes stared back at a pair of strangely coloured eyes, one being gold, the other- violet. Those strange eyes belonged to a delicate face, pale and graceful in its well-defined features. Two slender hands held an ornately decorated tea cup with the poise of a noble. The man, sitting in a red chair and dressed in beautiful oriental silk, could have been a china doll; a marrionette brought to life. The living marrionette smiled.  
  
The blue eyes belonged to Mr. Robinson, a tall man with broad shoulders and a solid build. His eyes turned away from the living doll, gazing around at the room and the few cages that were in sight. The smoke from the burning incense stung his eyes and nose. He sighed, his broad shoulders dropping as he did.  
  
"I thought-" the man began, his deep voice laden with grief. "Li-san...she loved dogs. She always talked about getting one. I thought, well, maybe having a dog around... maybe it would help me cope better."  
  
"Of course," the elegantly dressed man said thoughtfully, taking a sip of tea before setting the fragile cup down onto a table. "I believe I may have what you are looking for. If you will follow me." He rose to his feet, his silk robes rustling slightly, and made for the back of the shop, Mr. Robinson following close behind.  
  
"Now, I must warn you, Sir, that before you may take this animal home you must agree to three sales terms. If any of the terms of the contract are broken, we cannot be held responsible for the consequences. Do you still wish to see the pet?"  
  
"Of course, Count," Mr. Robinson said quickly. "I understand completely."  
  
The Count nodded his delicate head. "Follow me then."  
  
Count lead the grieving widower through a long corridor lit dimly with only a few red-gold lanterns and smelling heavly of incense. They came to a back room that was empty of everything except a few silk tapestries, a green-gold lantern, and what appeared to be a petite woman dressed in silver and dark brown.  
  
"Li-San!" Mr. Robinson gasped, staggering forward. Count D stepped over to the woman's side, resting one of his delicate hands on the chair on which she sat.  
  
"No, Mr. Robinson," Count said softly, resting one slender hand on the "woman's" shoulder. "What you see is not your deceased wife. It is simply a dog, a special breed of dog, to be precise. She is a hard breed to come by and is unknown of by most of the world. I assure you she is very much the canine as you requested."  
  
"Oh... yes... of course. Please, I must have her! I must!" The man exclaimed, his eyes pleading with the Count.  
  
"Of course," the delicate man agreed pleasantly, producing a sheet of paper. "But first there are the three terms you must agree to. If you feel that you can live by these terms, then you must sign the contract."  
  
"Right, so what are the terms?"  
  
"First, no one else must see her. Two-"  
  
"Wait a minute," Mr. Robinson interrupted, almost a bit gruffly. "I... uh... I have a daughter at home."  
  
"A daughter?" Count D inquired.  
  
"Yeah. She didn't want to leave the house after... well, you know. She's still deeply traumatized by the event. But will that first term include her?"  
  
"Of course. The second term is that this dog must be fed three times a day." The count petted the woman's head absent-mindedly as he spoke. " That food must be either beef, pork, venison, or fish, but under no circumstances must you feed her fowl of any kind. And third, you must burn a special incense every day when the sun rises and the sun sets. If you can agree to those terms then please sign the contract."  
  
"I'll sign it."  
  
Mr. Robinson took the contract and signed it, shoving the piece of paper back into the count's hand before running over to the woman and giving her a hug. "I'll never let anything happen to you again!" He turned back to the Count and gave him a little smile. "Thank you so much!"  
  
"Remember your contract, Mr. Robinson," Count reminded the man as he saw him and his new pet to the front door. He smiled as he watched the pet and owner leave the shop, a twinkle in his eye as they left. "And please, take good care of your pet." 


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I don't own Petshop of Horrors. This awesome creation belongs to Mari Akino. Amazing mind. Please don't sue me. ^^  
  
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'A dog?' wondered a young woman as she watched her father deposit a large canine onto the floor roughly. The dog yipped in surprise but the man simply ignored it. 'Why on earth would he get a dog?'  
  
"Kitchen!" her father ordered, hitting the dog with the back of his hand. The canine yelped and scrambled into the next room, the kicthen, her nails clicking on the linolium tiles.  
  
The girl watched the dog run from her hiding place of an old ventilation shaft that ran through the ceiling and ended right at the end of a dark hall and where the kitchen met. The dog was looking up at her new master, whining lightly.  
  
"Shut up, you damned wench!" the man ordered, delivering another blow with his fist. "Burn this shit twice a day my ass." He threw a box of incense into the waste basket. "That Chinaman thinks he can pull off some sort of mumbo jumbo shit, just to make me come back and buy shit from him. Now you sit at the table and don't make a sound! Rebecca? Rebecca where are you, you little brat?"  
  
The girl didn't move from her hiding place in the vent, but she held her breath as her father walked by. He searched for her, his breaths short and his steps heavy with misplaced rage. When he didn't find her, he returned to the kitchen and pulled a glass bottle partially filled with an amber liquid out of a cupboard and walked into the living room. She heard him flip the television on and turn the volume up. Then nothing, save for the normal sounds of a telecast. She let her breath out slowly and removed the grate from the opening, quietly dropping herself onto the floor. The dog had, by this time, trotted into the living room, where she let out a high pitched yelped and ran through the kitchen, nothing more than a streak of fur. The girl gasped as the dog ran by, listening to her father shout drunken curses at the canine. She shook her head and tiptoed to her bedroom, the only room with a door that was open. A whisp of fur passed by the corner of her eye as she entered her room. As quietly as she could, she shut the door, then dropped to her knees, peering under her bed. Two amber-brown eyes peered back at her from in the shadows.  
  
"Hey there," Rebecca whispered softly, looking at the dog. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. Come out?"  
  
The dog just whimpered and squirmed even deeper under the bed. Rebecca sighed and pulled her wavy black hair up into a ponytail to keep it out of her eyes then dropped down onto her stomach, pulling herself forward slowly. She then slowly reached out a bruised arm, putting her hand within reach of the dog, so that it could get her scent.  
  
"Hey there," she whispered again. "I won't hurt you. Why don't you come on out from under there? It'll be okay, I promise." The dog licked her hand, then crawled out of its hiding place, while Rebecca did the same. She climbed onto her bed and gestured for the dog to hop up. The canine did, licking Rebecca's face as it sat down on the cotton quilt covering the mattress. "There, that's better. Now, let's take a look at you."  
  
She scanned the dog over, and couldn't help but think that it was kind of ugly. The dog was a large animal, and looked like a cross between a wolf and a greyhound. However, its coat, a striking grey streaked with a sable brown, was very beautiful and soft to the touch. Unfortunately the dog was now sporting a rather long cut over her right eye, where Rebecca's father had struck her.  
  
"Poor thing. He can't even leave an animal alone," Rebecca muttered. "He already killed one creature. Does he have to torture more?" The dog whined slightly and laid its head in Rebecca's lap. "Yeah, I feel like that sometimes too. So... you came from Chinatown, huh? I think that's what Dad said..." She looked the dog over again and sighed. "No collar yet? I guess that means no name... so, I'll call you....China."  
  
Suddenly a large smashing noise got the girl's attention. Half of a now-empty beer bottle was on the floor, its shattered glass strewn everywhere. "Where have you been?" demanded a heavily drunk man, staggering through the doorway. "Cook supper, you lazy brat!" He swayed for a moment, then resumed to leaning on the doorframe. "Ah, I see you've met your mother."  
  
"Dad... this is a dog," Rebecca replied.  
  
"How dare you speak that way to your mother?!" her father snapped, stepping forward to deliver a smack to Rebecca's face. "Now get to supper you ungreatful little brat!"  
  
Without shedding a tear, Rebecca hurried to the kitchen, China following at her heels. Rebecca's father passed her by without so much as a second glance and returned to the living room. The moment that he was back in his chair, a new bottle of alcohol in his hands, Rebecca peered into the trashcan, trying to find the incense that her father had dumped. She found it, but it was ruined by the old food that it had landed in.  
  
"I suppose we'll have to buy some more from your pet shop," she said to China, who was sitting at Rebecca's feet, staring pleadingly at the girl. "Are you hungry? We don't have any dog food, but I think I can find something for you." Rebecca opened the door to the refrigerator and pushed several bottles of beer aside, pulling out a few different covered bowls. Inside one she found some left over pot roast, and heated the meat up in the microwave, then cubed it, setting it down in front of China on a plate. China dug in hungrily, giving Rebecca a grateful glance before she did.  
  
"Hmm," Rebecca said quietly to herself. "Leftovers aren't a bad idea. Then I can get some more of that incense from the petshop." She quickly threw together a meal of leftover meatloaf and some canned corn, then made a plate and took it to her father, who did little more than grunt at her when she handed him the plate. She quickly ran back to her room and pulled out a small jar where she kept her savings. Every time her father got his paycheck, and after he bought his booze and drunk himself to sleep, Rebecca would filch a couple of dollars and hide it away, so that when she needed to buy something, she could. She pulled out a couple of bills, then returned the jar to its hiding place burried in a pile of stuffed animals. The jar, decorated with three stylized tortousises, had been given to Rebecca by her mother. China joined Rebecca, and looked at her expectantly when she saw the girl don a light jacket.  
  
"I can't bring you with me, China," Rebecca said softly. "I don't have a leash or a collar for you and I don't want anyone to take you away. So, you just... you just wait here and I'll be back as soon as I can." She shut and locked her door, then opened her one window, taking a deep breath of the chilly fall air. "Oh, I almost forgot!" She walked away from the window and pulled out two sticks of incense, lighting both and setting each in a seperate holder. "One to honor the spirits," she told China, "and one for my mother. "She loved this scent, so I always burn a stick for her at sunset. You just hide in here, and I'll be back with your incense as soon as possible."  
  
China let out a whimper, but otherwise stayed put while Rebecca climbed out her window, shimmied down a drainpipe, then disappeared into the falling darkness.  
  
*******  
  
Chinatown rose up around Rebecca like a strange and mysterious world, the likes of which she had never seen. It had been easy enough to ask for directions, and in the dim streetlighting, with the hood of her jacket covering her face, no one thought anything strange of this teenager asking for directions to a place in the city that she'd never been to. She was glad that no one could see her face, because the strike from her father had left a rather puffy red mark... she didn't want people to think she was just some punk who'd been fighting.  
  
"The place you're looking for is right over there," an elderly gentleman had said, pointing Rebecca in the right direction. "If you hurry up you can catch the owner before he closes down for the night."  
  
"Thank you!" Rebecca replied, out of breath from running. She nodded politely to the elderly man, then jogged over to the doorway that he'd pointed to. The stairway that led down into the petshop was rather creepy looking in the dimly lit street, but Rebecca squared her shoulders and cautiously stepped down into the darkness. Once at the doorway, she knocked once, then walked inside.  
  
"H-hello?" she called out cautiously.  
  
"There is no need to be so timid," came a calming voice. Rebecca gasped when she caught sight of Count D, for he'd seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He chuckled softly, then smiled. "I did not mean to frighten you. Please, come inside."  
  
"T-thank you," Rebecca stammered quietly, taking a few more steps into the pet shop.  
  
"It is quite chilly outside," Count D said genially, looking Rebecca over once. "Surely you brought a heavier jacket."  
  
"No. But it's all right, running here kept me warm, and it'll do the same on the way home, so I'll be... all right."  
  
"I see. Well then, how may I be of service to you?"  
  
"My dad came in and bought a dog," Rebecca explained to the Count, a bit out of breath, but slowly recovering. "The dog came with some incense that had to be burned twice a day. He uh... slipped on some wet leaves and the incense fell into a puddle of water. I came back to get some more."  
  
"Was all of the incense ruined?" Count D asked.  
  
"No," Rebecca lied, though she didn't know why. She didn't understand why the incense had to be burned, so perhaps she just didn't particularly feel like being scolded by a stranger. "I have China in my room, where I lit the only piece of the incense that made it." It was half true, at least... there was incense burning.  
  
"China? What a beautiful name," Count D commented pleasantly. "You must be Mr. Robinson's daughter. It is a pleasure to meet you. Your father spoke well of you."  
  
"I'm sure he did," Rebecca mumbled politely.  
  
D smiled kindly while pulling open a drawer and pulling out a small, decorated tin. "Well, Miss Robinson, here is the incense that you need. And give China, and your father, my greetings."  
  
"Thank you, Sir," Rebecca said with a slight, stiff, half-bow. And with the incense safely tucked away in her coat pocket, Rebecca ran out of the pet shop.'What a creepy place,' she thought to herself with a shiver. 'Well, at least I don't have to go back for a while and I've got China's incense.'  
  
*****  
  
Inside the shop D stood in the doorway, watching Rebecca disappear around a corner. "Such a secretive child," he murmered to himself. Out of nowehere a little creature with long ears and batwings appeared, fluttering down to land on D's slender, ourstretched hand. The little creature began to squeak rapidly, and D seemed to understand. "I see," he sighed. "Contract broken." 


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: That's right. I still don't oen Petshop of Horrors. I never will. That honour belongs to Mari Akino. *applauds at the creator's genius* By the way, if you haven't figured it out yet, Rebecca belongs to me. Just thought I'd slip that in ^^ And if you haven't seen or read Petshop of Horrors, I advise that you do so. NOW! ^_^  
  
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A/N: I'd like to thank Whit, my beta-reader...because without her, I'd have 20 spelling errors for the word incense *evil giggle* not to mention all of my improper grammer with the word "its". So thank you, Whit! ^^  
  
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"Okay, China, I have your incense," Rebecca said as she climbed through her window. But China wasn't waiting in the room. Rebecca gasped in horror as she stared at her door, which had been busted open. "China!" Rebecca shouted, running out of the room and into the kitchen, where she slipped on a pile of broken glass, landing with a heavy thud. She blinked, trying to clear her head, when she saw a mass of grey and brown fur lying off to her right. Standing over the fallen dog was Rebecca's father, holding a long pole of bamboo...a piece of a decoration that had once belonged to her mother. He brought the bamboo down onto the dog with a violent SMACK that made Rebecca cringe. Her father was drunk, and, by her reckoning, very much out of control.  
  
"STOP IT!" she screamed, crawling over to China, covering the dog with her own body. The bamboo pole came down across her back, but she didn't leave the dog even as the pain ran through her back. "Stop it!" she pleaded. "She didn't do anything!"  
  
"I'll give her a reason to cry!" Rebecca's father shouted, his words slurred from the amount of booze in his body. "I'll show her why she should've listened to me!"  
  
The pole fell across Rebecca's back several more times, but she just laid there and let blow after blow fall. She knew that she couldn't take him down on her own, and she wasn't going to let this man kill again, even if it was just a dog. Soon enough the blows stopped coming and both Rebecca's and China's cried of pain faded into soft whimpers. Rebecca's dad had wandered off, back into the living room, and had prompty passed out in his chair.  
  
"China?" Rebecca asked softly, lifting her head from the animal's pelted hide. "China, please don't be dead." The dog's sides heaved with each labourous breath, and her amber-brown eyes held a dangerous half-mad look to them. Rebecca had a feeling that China would have bitten anyone in sight...if she'd had the strength to lift her head. "Oh China, I'm so sorry!" China could only whimper in response. "We have to get out of here," Rebecca whispered hoarsely. "Wait here. I'll be right back."  
  
Rebecca rose to her knees...and was forced to stop at that position, for her back hurt so much that she couldn't pull herself to her feet. So she crawled, as quickly as her body would allow her, down the hallway to her room. Her hands and legs, which were bare, were torn up by the broken glass that was still on the floor there, but she paid little attention to this new pain. Instead she crawled over to her hidden jar and pulled out the rest of her money, stuffing it clumsily into her pockets. Then she grabbed her coat, a soft cotton blanket, and her duffelbag, and dragged these things back to the kitchen. China hadn't moved but was still breathing.  
  
"Okay girl, lets get you wrapped up," Rebecca said in a soft, but determined, voice. "We're going to get out of here and we're going to go to a place where HE can't follow us. And we'll be fine there, I know we will. Mother used to take me there all the time; I know the way." And while she talked she had wrapped the canine in the blanket and had laid her inside of the duffel bag, which was barely large enough to fit China. Rebecca zipped the opening so that it was partially shut, but would allow the animal to breath, then donned her jacket. Dripping blood down her legs, Rebecca stood up slowly, pulling China along behind her. The only way out was back down the drainpipe, so Rebecca shouldered the duffelbag, and very slowly made her way down to the chilly ground.  
  
"And we're free, China," Rebecca whispered as she headed away from the city, out into the countryside, where her special hiding place was. "We'll be fine now, just you see."  
  
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"Hey Leon, you might want to check this out," a woman called to a blonde haired man, sifting through files on his computer.  
  
"Yeah, what is it Jill?" Leon asked, running a hand through his blonde hair, while skimming several files on his computer.  
  
"You remember the Robinson case?"  
  
"The Robinson case?" Leon repeated. "Yeah, who in this department doesn't? Asian woman disappears about a month ago, after a fight with her husband, possible homicide but nothing to back up our suspicions . It's been shuffled over to missing persons."  
  
Jill nodded. "The department just got a call, supposedly the daughter's gone missing."  
  
"Robinson has a kid?" Leon asked, mildly surprised. "I don't recall questioning a kid."  
  
"That's because you didn't," Jill stated. "No one did because no one could find her. Robinson mentioned in passing that he had a kid, but she was nowhere to be found at the time of the disappearance of Li-san Robinson."  
  
"And she's missing now?" Leon wondered.  
  
"That's right," Jill confirmed. " Their next door neighbor said when she didn't see the kid leave for school, she became concerned and called it in. Neighbor across the hall said she heard something last night, some shouting and some yelping... like an animal or something like that. "  
  
"An animal huh?" Leon asked. "Jill, run a check for me real quick... see if the Robinson's were a client of our favorite little pet shop."  
  
"Gotcha," Jill replied, running some info through her computer. "Your guess was right. They made a purchase yesterday. I take it you're gonna head down to Chinatown?"  
  
"Leon!"  
  
"Yeah, Chief?" Leon called back.  
  
"The Robinson apartment. Get over there, now."  
  
"Gotcha."  
  
****  
  
Leon arrived at the apartment, noting that several of the neighbors were peeking out of their doors to see what was going on but no one was offering the officers on scene any help. He found the apartment easily enough, and when he saw who was waiting outside he was shocked and slightly angered. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded of Count D, who was waiting patiently outside.  
  
"Ah, Detective," D greeted. "It is nice to see you again."  
  
"Yeah, right," Leon mumbled. "What do you think you are doing here?"  
  
"I am here," D explained patiently, "for a friendly visit."  
  
"Right. And what'd you sell this time?" Leon demanded angrily. "A killer bird? A man-eating parrot perhaps?"  
  
"Not at all, Detective," D replied in a slightly hurt tone. "I sold the Robinsons a dog. A rare breed at that."  
  
"Yeah, right. What is it this time, a werewolf?"  
  
"Half werewolf, actually," D answered with a hint of a smile touching his delicate lips.  
  
Leon looked at him with a stunned and confused expression. Then he said, "well, I sure hope you can calm it down. If I find a dead kid in there I'll be dragging your ass down to the station before you can even blink." D simply gestured for Leon to continue his job. Angrily, the homicide detective pounded on the door, shouting for Mr. Robinson. When he didn't get an answer he drew his weapon and kicked the door open. No one, man or beast, came to meet him. It didn't take long for the police to find Mr. Robinson, he was passed out in his chair, a bottle of beer still in his hand.  
  
"Get him out of here," Leon ordered after searching the rest of the house. "Get him sobered up. I want some answers out of him." The other officers cuffed and hauled the drunk man out of the appartment, leaving just Leon and D. "I wonder where the kid and the dog are." D didn't miss the cutting sarcasm in Leon's voice, but he simply ignored it. Leon continued. "Hmm, it looks like they got into a fight...there's quite a bit of blood. Goes from the kitchen back to the bedroom. But no bodies...neither human nor canine. What's going on?"  
  
"Perhaps they have both fled," D suggested, an odd look in his strangely coloured eyes. "One of them has been injured. The question is, which one, detective, which one?" 


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: Simply put - Petshop of Horrors belongs to Mari Akino.  
  
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A/N: Once again I'd like to thank Whit...because after 24 hours without sleep more spelling errors than just for the word "incense" pop up...  
  
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"I can't believe you sold a pet to this guy," Leon said as he continued to search the house for any possible clue.  
  
"It would seem that I was decieved by Mr. Robinson."  
  
"So, how was the contract broken anyways?"  
  
"Mr. Robinson was instructed to burn a special incense at sunrise and sunset every day for the animal," D exlained in a calm manner as he looked around at Rebecca's room. "It was not burned."  
  
"What do you mean?" Leon asked, peering at a bookshelf. "Someone burned some incense, two sticks. I've got the holders and ashes right here on this shelf."  
  
Count D smiled, a bit sorrowfully. "It was not the specified incense."   
  
"Ri-ight," Leon said slowly. "So what, did the dog turn into a half-human monster or something?"  
  
"Not at all, Detective," D responded mildly.  
  
"Well, we'll leave the rest of this to the lab for now. I'll be asking you some more questions later."  
  
"As you wish," D answered quietly. He and Leon exited the premisis. While the detective walked quickly towards his car, D moved at a slower, calmer pace down the hallway, and as he did, he was stopped by an older woman two doors down.  
  
"That man could charm the devil himself out of a stolen soul," the woman said to D in a hushed tone. "Poor girl. She just wanted a friend to love her, but that father of hers keeps a tight-fisted leash on her."  
  
"Why did you not tell this to the police?" D asked.  
  
"Because we're all too afraid of that bastard and what he'd do to our families," the woman stated. "He's dangerous! But listen, if you're trying to find the dog you sold them, I have a general idea of where that girl might have gone to. Her mother had a place out in the country, a cabin in the middle of a nice span of woods. I bet you that's where you'll find her and your animal. I can give you directions if you'd like."  
  
"Thank you. I appreciate your assistance."  
  
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"Here we are, China," Rebecca panted as she finally came to a little cabin set well into a large expanse of woods. "We'll get you fixed up in no time. And the winter weather'll set in soon and no one will be able to come after us. It'll just be you and me."  
  
China whined from her place inside the duffel bag, and Rebecca wasted no time getting inside and lighting fire in the cabin's main room. She set herself to heating some water and finding every bit of cloth she could find to use as a bandage. In the end, she wound up cutting a sheet down into useable strips. Once the water was done, Rebecca cleaned and bandaged China's wounds, then filled a bowl she found in the cupboard with some fresh water. Once that was done she lit some incense for the dog, then began to tend to her own wounds.   
  
The cuts on her hands and legs were easy to tend to, but the welts on Rebecca's back were impossible to reach with no one to help. With no way of being able to tend to her wounds, the girl just gritted her teeth and moved onto the next task of taking stock on what supplies they had. Rebecca's mother had often kept a supply of dried meats, fruits, and certain vegetables, as well as some other non-perishable food items in the cabin, in case the family got stuck on an outing. The weather could become dangerous in the spring and fall, especially with rains and high winds, so the cabin was prepared in case of an emergency.  
  
"And we have the well to supply us with water, it's just a matter of heating most of it. I'm going to need to get some more wood." Her beaten body protested at the thought, but it was a chore of necessity. Rebecca went to it, though she stopped for frequent breaks, to rest and to check on China, whose condition was improving. When the young teen could haul no more wood, she collapsed next to the nest of blankets she'd made for her canine companion, panting heavily.  
  
"I'm so sorry that you had to go through all that," Rebecca panted. "I'm sure if your previous master had known what my dad was like then you wouldn't have been sold to us." China lifted her head and watched the girl with a surprising amount of intelligence. "Well," Rebecca continued. "I guess we're just a couple of bruised, ugly ol' broads now, huh?" China barked as if to protest. "Okay, okay," Rebecca laughed. "You aren't ugly at any rate." The canine whined, then licked Rebecca's face. "Does that mean you're not mad at me... or that you're hungry? We have some smoked ham... I think that would make a nice supper. Then I'll change your bandages. It's just a shame you couldn't do the same for me. I feel like I'm one giant bruise!"  
  
China barked a couple of times, and with a slight chuckle, Rebecca went back to work.  
  
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"Where do you think you're going?" Leon asked Count D as the detective entered the pet shop to see the oriental man getting ready to depart.  
  
"I am leaving to find China," Count D answered.  
  
"Well, I can tell you that," Leon replied smartly. "Just take a boat across the ocean-"  
  
"My missing canine friend, Detective," D interrupted, but with a tiny smile twitching at his delicate lips.  
  
"You named the dog China?"  
  
"Miss Robinson gave the dog that name."  
  
"Ah, and what do you know of Miss Rebecca Robinson?" Leon asked.  
  
"She came into my shop three days ago to buy some incense," D answered dutifully.  
  
"And let me guess, that was it," Leon remarked sarcastically.  
  
"Yes, that was it," D confirmed.  
  
"Well, I guess you would be interested to know that the majority of the blood leading from the kitchen to the back bedroom is Rebecca Robinson."  
  
"Really?" D asked quietly. "It's a shame to hear so."  
  
"Yeah, well, I'm not done," Leon growled. "You were there, so I'm sure you remembered that big puddle of blood next to the sink. That belonged to an animal, more specifically, a dog. And we both know that a dog couldn't have lost that much blood without being seriously injured."  
  
"So what are you saying, Detective?" D inquired coyly, staring thoughtfully at Leon.  
  
"That an injured animal on the loose is dangerous!" Leon shouted, resisting the urge to grab the Count by his neck and throttle the strange Chinaman. "So if you know anything about Rebecca, the dog, or their location, then you'd better talk!"  
  
"Please, calm yourself, Detective," D requested serenely. "I am simply going out to look for my animal. Any information you need for the girl's location would be best sought after by questioning her neighbors, don't you agree?" Leon grumbled, but he couldn't argue the Count's point. "Now, if you would please excuse me, I must conduct my search."  
  
"I'll be seeing you later," Leon growled, his words as much a threat as they were a promise.  
  
"I'm sure you will," D replied with a tiny smile. "I'm sure you will." 


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: Petshop of Horrors belongs to Mari Akino\  
  
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A/N: Whit, my beta-reader, is probably wishing I was deceased at this point, because this is the fifth chapter I've typed in the past 48 hours with little to no sleep. She's actually gotten to the point where she's counting my errors just to see if it annoyes me. ^^ the poor child. *bows to whit* You know I couldn't do this without you. *giggle*  
  
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Night came swiftly to the woods, and Rebecca lit three seperate sticks of incense, then rustled a small dinner for herself and China. Once they'd both eaten, Rebecca changed the bandages on China's wounds, then added another log to her little fire. She leaned against an old, worn armchair, petting China absentmindedly.   
  
"It's so nice here," Rebecca murmured as she listened to the heavy rain and swift wind pass over the cabin. She and China had been in hiding a total of two days. Both, while still very stiff, were beginning to do better. China lifted her head and looked up at her new owner, with a look of total adoration in her now half-wild eyes. "My mother and I used to come here all the time, when my dad would be away on some business trip or something like that." She rose to her feet, smiling down at the dog. "Well, I'm going to go and check on my sweet-bread. I'll be right back, I promise." In the kitchen, Rebecca checked on the food she'd placed in the wood-burning oven. It was done, so she removed the dish and set it onto a metal cooling rack, then returned to the living room. She noted that the room was a bit colder than before, despite the log added to the fire, so she made a quick check of the windows and door. All were securely shut, so she just shrugged and returned to the chair.  
  
"I think you're the first person to listen to me talk without interrupting me, snapping at me, or telling me I'm a liar," Rebecca reflected as China hobbled onto the girl's lap. "My mom used to listen to me, but she's gone now. And for some reason Dad thought you would replace her!" Her words took an icy, angry edge as she spoke. "Then he hit you, just like he hit her and me... and he tried to kill you, just like he killed her!" A few tears rolled down Rebecca's cheeks, and China barked softly, nuzzling the girl's face with her nose. Rebecca smiled weakly. "I'm glad you'll listen to me though. All I've ever wanted was a friend who wouldn't hurt me, and the ancients spirits, or whoever it is watching over us, brought you. And I promise that I won't let anything happen to you ever again."  
  
***  
  
Count D stood in the shadows of the cabin, listening to the girl speak with mixed emotions. He'd come to take the dog away, for the contract had been broken, and yet here this girl was talking to the animal like nothing had gone wrong. And the canine hadn't made a move to rebuke its owners for disobeying the contract, as was the normal occurance. She hadn't even brought down retribution for her rough treatment. Not that China wouldn't have attacked Mr. Robinson, had she had the strength to do so. And D had seen that clearly in her half-wild eyes when she'd let him into the cabin while Rebecca was out of the room. But there'd been something else in China's eyes; a deep loyalty to this girl, who'd saved her from the brink of death. Even though Rebecca had, as being a member of the family, broken the contract, the canine still felt loyal to her... she wouldn't attack her new master even if the contract had been competely severed.  
  
"It would seem," D said as he emerged from the shadows, "that in this case the consequences to be had will not be given by the animal, but by the police, and to the appropriate person."  
  
Rebecca screamed as she jumped to her feet, half out of fright and half out of pain from the sudden movement. China began to bark loudly at the commotion and D stopped in his tracks, giving Rebecca an apologetic look.  
  
"Please, I did not mean to frighten you," D said softly. "I apologize."  
  
"H-how did you find me?" Rebecca asked the strange pet shop owner, not sure what to make of the man now that he was inside what she'd thought was her safe haven. "How did you get in here?"  
  
"One of your neighbors, a pleasant old lady, gave me the directions to this cabin, and China let me in," the Count explained.  
  
Rebecca watched D with a cautious eye, but when China calmed down and actually limped over to the Count to lick his hand, the girl relaxed her guard a bit. "Can I offer you some sweet-bread and tea? Both are hot."  
  
"Thank you," D agreed, taking a seat gracefully in one of the two well-worn chairs. China laid herself down at his feet. He watched Rebecca through narrowed eyes, but China began to whine at him, and the count's eyes widened a bit. He then examined all of China's wrappings with the scrutiny of a professional while Rebecca set down a plate of sweet-bread and a cup of tea on a small table in front of him. "You have done a magnificient job with these bandages."  
  
"Thanks," Rebecca said quietly, sitting gingerly in the other chair. She was unwrapping the bandages that covered her own hands, so as to clean them out, and was otherwise silent.  
  
D glanced around the room while Rebecca tended to her own wounds, and kept himself silent. Until he noticed the three sticks of incense burning on the mantle over the fireplace. When he noticed this, he couldn't help but ask, "Three sticks of incense?"  
  
"One for China, one for my mother, and one for the ancient gods and spirits," Rebecca explaine automatically. "My mother believed in the ancients and always burned incense for them, so I do the same in her honor and theirs."  
  
D nodded, pleased with the child's answer. "Might I ask how you came to this place?"  
  
"Climbing and running," Rebecca answered, re-wrapping her hands.  
  
"You came here all the way by foot, carrying China?"  
  
Rebecca nodded, though she didn't miss the impressed tone in D's voice. She glanced at the man's china-doll face, then returned her eyes to her hands. "Why did you come?"  
  
D answered. "I came for China."  
  
"Well, at least you're honest," Rebecca sighed. "So you're going to take her away?"  
  
D didn't answer right away, but instead stared at Rebecca with his strange gold and violet eyes for what seemed like an eternity to the girl. Finally he answered, "No."  
  
"No?" Rebecca repeated, a bit stunned.  
  
D smiled gently at the girl. "You protected her. In this case I believe you are deserving of a second chance. I was decieved by your father, but I can see that this happened, in truth, for your benefit, not his."  
  
"I'm... not sure what you're talking about," Rebecca said slowly. "But thank you... I think." She was about to say something else but a knock at the door cut her off. Both Rebecca and China scrambled to their feet, while D rose with the grace of a dancer. China started to growl at the closed door and Rebecca armed herself with an axe that laid by the door.  
  
Seeing as there was no point in pretending no one was in the cabin, Rebecca edged over to the door and shouted, "Who is it?"  
  
"Leon Orcot. I'm with the police. Rebecca Robinson?"  
  
"Yeah, that's me," Rebecca answered.   
  
"Will you let me in?" Leon asked. "I'd just like to ask you a few questions."  
  
Rebecca lowered her axe and pulled the door open, letting the detective inside. Outside the wind howled while rain pelted the earth like liquid bullets. She shut the door behind her newest guest, and noted that he was soaked from head to foot. He nodded politely to her, but then he nearly choked as he saw D.  
  
Leon's jaw dropped as he watched the Count lay a delicate hand on China's head, calming the growling beast. "Good evening, Detective," he said with a touch of humour in his voice.  
  
"Wha... what are you doing here?" he stammered.  
  
"Miss Robinson and I were simply discussing the matter of China's contract while enjoying some tea," D answered pleasantly and with a smile. "Her sweet-bread is excellent."  
  
Leon stared at Rebecca, his tongue tied in a knot. But Rebecca wouldn't meet his gaze, and instead, was watching China. Finally the detective regained his composure and cleared his throat.  
  
"I need to ask you a few questions about what happened at your apartment a few nights ago," Leon said purposefully.   
  
"If you were inside the apartment," Rebecca replied quietly, "then you can figure out what happened."  
  
"But I need to hear it from you," Leon stated. Rebecca shook her head. "You're only protecting your father by refusing to help us! Why?" But Rebecca wouldn't answer his question, avoiding his gaze by continually staring at China.  
  
"I'll get you some towels to dry yourself off with," she said instead, disappearing from the room with China at her heels.  
  
"I do not think being loud with her is going to get you any answers, Detective," D pointed out thoughtfully, having returned to his chair, teacup in hand.  
  
"What, you're a child psychologist now?" Leon mumbled sarcastically. "Give me a break. And that thing beside her was supposed to be a werewolf? It looks about as ferocious as a declawed cat!"  
  
"I told you, Detective, that China is only half werewolf. Half of her breeding is that of a normal dog."  
  
"And why is that?" Leon wondered. "Why not just give her the real deal?"  
  
"The werewolf is a very dangerous beast, Detective."  
  
"Well, isn't that ironic," Leon muttered.  
  
"China is a very special breed. Her werewolf blood makes her very territorial and very protective of what she sees as hers. To counter the werewolf's vicious nature, however, is the blood of an ordinary canine, making her as complacant and loving as any normal dog. That is why the incense must be burned, to help keep the werewolf's nature subdued."  
  
"You are so full of-"  
  
"Here are the towels," Rebecca interrupted, stopping the upcoming debate. "Would you like some tea?"  
  
"Uh... yes, please." Once Rebecca was out of the room again, Leon continued in a low but pressed tone. "You might believe that thing's a werewolf, and she might even believe it, but all I see is a weird looking dog. For all I know you both could be on drugs!"  
  
D shrugged his elegant shoulders with all the grace of a cat. "You will believe what you wish to believe, Detective. As is always the case on your part."  
  
"Here you are," Rebecca said, returning with a cup of hot tea before Leon could make a smart remark.  
  
"Rebecca," Leon said instead, turning his attention back to the young teen. "I have to take you back into town. You understand that, right? We need to know exactly what happened at the apartment."  
  
"Can't I just tell you what happened and stay here?" Rebecca asked quietly.  
  
"Unfortunately, no," Leon answered as calmly as he could. "I have to take you back, for your own safety."  
  
"I must agree with the detective, Miss Robinson," Count D added softly, much to Leon and Rebecca's surprise. "You need a doctor to look at those hands of yours."  
  
"What about China?" Rebecca pressed.  
  
"I will keep her at the pet shop until this matter is settled," D promised.  
  
Rebecca sighed and finally nodded. "I'll go, but there's no way I'm going to face off with my dad. Got that?"  
  
"Not a problem," Leon agreed, thinking that was probably for her own good anyways. He pulled Rebecca's white jacket off of the coat rack and handed it to her. With gritted teeth she put it on, ignoring her stiff muscles' screams of protest, then banked the fire while Leon pulled open the door. Suddenly a loud crash of thunder rolled through the air, and before anyone could stop her, China bolted through the door and into the woods.  
  
"China!" Rebecca shouted, running for the door. Leon stopped her, holding her back by her waist.  
  
"You can't go after her in this storm, it's too dangerous!" Leon told her, trying to keep her from breaking loose.  
  
"No, I have to go after her!" Rebecca argued, squirming in the detective's grasp. "I know these woods, I can find her! Let me go!"  
  
But Leon held tight, dragging the girl out of the cabin and over to his car. In the minute that it took to get the struggling girl to the vehicle, all three people were soaked from the torrent of rain. "Count, can you open the door?" Leon asked, forced to hold the struggling teen with both hands. D complied and opened the back passenger door for the cop, then stood back.  
  
"Let. Me. Go!" Rebecca kicked Leon in the leg with all of her might, and the shock of the blow relaxed Leon's grip just enough for her to break free. Without a second thought, she bolted into the woods after her dog, vanishing in the barren forest.  
  
"Rebecca!" Leon shouted, watching her disappear. Rebecca - goddamnit! REBECCA!" 


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: Yup, still don't own Petshop. But I do own... *checks her pockets* some spare change and a piece of gum... so it's not really worth suing me for. Petshop of Horrors belongs to Mari Akino.  
  
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A/N: It's the last chapter, Whit! My torturing of you is over... at least for this story *evil grin*  
  
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"China! China, where are you? China!" Rebecca kept shouting, but the wind and the rain drowned out her words as soon as they were called. Rebecca kept to one of the forest trails, trying to spot anything that might pass for a canine in the stormy night, but to no avail. Then, for one fleeting moment, she thought she heard the barking of a dog somewhere off to her right. "China!" she shouted, breaking from the trail. She wove threw the tree trunks and over roots and thorn brambles, searching for the source of the barking. "China, is that y- ahhhh!"  
  
Before Rebecca knew what was happening she found herself sliding down a steep enbankment, landing waist deep in a river of thick mud. Right away the severity of the situation hit her. With the rain falling as heavily as it was, more and more mud was rolling down the walls of the rivine, filling the little valley quickly. If Rebecca didn't climb out of it, she was going to be buried alive.  
  
The branches abover her moaned and snapped in the wind, but offered the girl no help as she tired to climb up the steep, slick walls. But at about the halfway point in her efforts, the mud gave way, sending Rebecca back to the bottom of the mud-filled valley. Again and again she tried, but nothing worked. After yet another failed attempt, Rebecca collapsed against the side of the muddy wall, letting out a cry of anguish. "Somebody help me!" she cried, only to lose her words to the wind.  
  
"Please," she whimpered to herself, knowing that it was no good. Despair set in on her heart and she began to cry as dark thoughts flodded her mind. 'I really am just a worthless creature,' she thought to herself, lying her face against the cool mud. 'Dad was right. I'm useless. I can't even get out of the mud. And even the dog left me-' A faint bark crossed the wind, drawing Rebecca's attention. Slowly but surely it got louder and louder. "China? China! Here girl! China, I'm over here!"  
  
All of a sudden a bandaged hand reached down the side of the embankment and Rebecca looked up to see a girl, about her own age, with wild grey and brown hair standing above her. "Who-" Rebecca began to ask when she saw the girl's eyes. They were the exact same, half wild amber eyes that Rebecca had come to know and love over the past few days. "China?!"  
  
The girl smiled, pulling Rebecca up and out of the ravine with the use of a fallen tree branch.  
  
Rebecca wasted no time in giving the girl a hug. "China, is it really you? I thought you'd run away from me!"  
  
China hugged her master back lovingly, then began to pull Rebecca back towards the trail. A sudden loud CRACK drew both girls' attention to the canopy above them, only to see a large branch falling right over head. Before Rebecca could even scream, China had thrown her to the ground, crawling on top of her to protect the teen as the branch fell. It hit with a dull THUD, and after that, for Rebecca, everything went black.  
  
****  
  
"Can this possibly get any worse?" Leon wondered as he ran after the runaway teen. The rain and biting wind made his search a miserable one, and on top of that, he seemed to get snagged on every low branch and bush possible. He had no idea how the Count was managing to follow so quickly without his silk garments being snagged at least once.  
  
"She left the trail here, Detective," D called up to Leon.  
  
"How can you tell in this weather?" Leon asked, trailing back to the asian man. "The way this rain is coming down-" D gestured to some broken brush, half a foot print, and some dog track leading away from the trail and into the woods. "I thought I was the detective," Leon mumbled while D smiled slightly. They both left the trail, taking up Rebecca's barely visible path until Leon caught sight of a small patch of white. It had to be the girl.  
  
"Rebecca!" Leon shouted, rushing forward, stumbling to a halt when he saw what lay before him. "Oh God..." Behind him he heard a tiny gasp of shock out of the Count. Rebecca lay on the ground, China on top of her, both underneath a large tree branch. "She's still alive," he yelled, kneeling next to the girl and checking her pulse. "We have to get this off of her!" The branch was lifted and rolled aside, but neither Rebecca nor the dog moved after the removal of the heavy weight. "We have to get her to the hospital. Now."  
  
"Moving her may cause further damage," D replied.  
  
"Yeah, well not moving her is gonna cause her death," Leon countered. "You take the dog, I'll take the girl."  
  
They got back to the car as quickly as either could, moving fast with their burdens. Leon laid Rebecca across the back seat and buckled her in as best he could. D then proceeded to lay China on top of the girl's soaked and mud-covered body.   
  
"What are you doing?" Leon demanded.  
  
"If Miss Robinson should happen to wake," D explained, "then seeing her beloved China with her will keep her calm."  
  
"Fine, whatever. Just get in the car." Leon pulled out of the driveway and sped as fast as he could down the narrow dirt road. The ride was a long and apprehensive one, and in the back neither girl nor dog stirred.  
  
At the hospital Rebecca was wheeled away in a flurry of doctors and nurses, with Leon explaining as best as he could what had happened. When the rush of medical staff was gone, Leon sighed, leaning against the emergency room wall. He turned to say something to D, but he was gone. Leon shook his head. "I guess I'll be seeing you later, Count. You can bet on it."  
  
******  
  
A week after the accident, Leon found himself wandering back through Chinatown, with a box of pastries in his hands, heading toward the Petshop. The dimly lit, incense smelling, building never ceased its hold of mystery over him, and he couldn't help but gaze around curiously every time he entered the place.  
  
"Detective," D greeted pleasantly from one of his chairs, setting his cup of tea down on a small table. "How good of you to come see me."  
  
"Here, I... I brought you something," Leon replied, holding the box out with slight disgust.  
  
"Oh my, how wonderful!" D exclaimed, taking the box with a smile. "You really are such a kind soul, Detective. Please, sit down."  
  
"You know, I had a pretty interesting chat with a sober Mr. Robinson," Leon said, cutting right to the chase.  
  
"Really?" Count D inquired in a noncomittal tone.  
  
"Yeah. He said you sold him a woman, not a dog."  
  
"Detective, you know that I sell only dreams and hopes, not slaves."  
  
"I'm just telling you what he said, Count," Leon stated. "You say you sold a dog. He says you sold him a woman. Rebecca finally woke up, and when she did she said that China took the form of a girl and pulled her out of a ravine, then gave her life to save Rebecca when the branch fell. All I saw was a strange looking dog."  
  
D smiled secretively. "They all saw what they needed to see."  
  
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Leon asked, fighting to keep his cool while he knew that he was being led around in circles by the mysterious owner of the pet shop.  
  
"Mr. Robinson felt guilty over the murder of his wife. He wished to replace his wife, perhaps out of some tiny strain of guilt he possessed, and yet he could not help himself but to repeat his first crime. Miss Robinson, on the other hand, needed a friend who would love her despite all of the faults laid upon her by her father. And so she saw China for what the creature really was - a loyal and true friend."   
  
Leon just sighed, shaking his head. "You are really something, Count. There never seems to be any happy endings where you're concerned."  
  
"Is that really true, Detective?" D countered thoughtfully.   
  
"Rebecca Robinson lost the only true friend she had in the world. Her father's going to go behind bars where he belongs, but that leaves her alone in the world! How can you even think that this would be a happy ending for her?!"  
  
"It is true, Miss Robinson lost a dear friend," D agreed soberly. "But in that process she learned that love and loyalty do still exist in the world. And while she may be sad for some time, Miss Robinson will be able to move on and succeed in the world. So this could be seen as a happy ending, Detective."  
  
Leon muttered something and stood up. "I'll see you around, Count," he said off-handedly, walking out of the shop.  
  
D watched him go with a slight smile on his delicate lips and a small twinkle in his strange eyes. He said nothing more than a parting, "Indeed you will, Detective. Indeed you will." With that, the chinaman stared back into his cup of tea, his expression serene. Suddenly a small chime came to be heard by his sensitive ears.   
  
The count smiled, then stood up slowly. Another customer for another dream.  
  
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A/N: that's it, the end. *locks her muses in a glass jar* now will you let me sleep?! ^_^ 


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